


Dare to Remember

by Addiction_and_Abstinence



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Torture, Kumogakure, M/M, Mistery, NejixShika, Psychological Torture, Shippuuden, Thriller, Yaoi, complicated love, murders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-06 22:54:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13421358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Addiction_and_Abstinence/pseuds/Addiction_and_Abstinence
Summary: A weird mission. A dark past coming back to haunt the ones we love the most. A depiction of sufferings, pain, blood and who knows...maybe also a Happy Ending. Maybe.Disclaimer. I do not promote any of the acts you will read in this fanfiction. They are pure fiction,useful to give the story the gory-disgusting/shocking taste  I like to see in all my favourite stories.





	1. B-Ranked Bullshit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlegirl9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlegirl9/gifts).



Tsunade was looking at the paper in front of her, taking a deep breath before moving her gaze towards the shinobis in front of her.

\- Your next mission is a B-ranked one. It consists in understanding what the hell is going on in Kumogakure. There have been many kidnappings, murders and disappearances all around and in the city. Our client gave us proof that this could be potentially threatening to our Region and insists on the claim that the Raikage is denying the truth. Since this is not the first time that the Lighting Government hides something from us...I will not let a possible threat slide through my fingers like that. No one wants another Hyuuga Affair to happen. 

Her eyes wondered to the icy ones in front of her. Had it been a good idea to involve Hyuuga Neji in this mission? His byakugan was certainly needed for such a mission, but would the freshly promoted Jonin be able to handle the emotional weight of it all? Tsunade looked at him for a second. His eyes were...emotionless. He was just staring back at her, his figure in perfect standing position, waiting for further instruction and apparently untouched by the fact that the topic discussed was in fact his father’s death. The Godaime cleared her throat before starting to talk again.

-Kakashi, you will be the Team Leader. At your side I figured that the two geniuses here will definitely help out. Sakura and Ino will provide you the medical support you may need, and Kiba and Akamaru will definitely help out in your research. Any questions?-

For a second nobody seemed to be intentioned to speak, but the the lazy hand of Shikamaru Nara was lifted.

\- Two Jonin and four Chunin for a B-ranked mission. Isn’t it too much? -

Tsunade basically killed him with a homicide look. That Nara was as annoying as genial. Obviously it wasn’t a simple B rank mission.

\- Nara, I know you are asking the question for the sole purpose of being a pain in the ass, but I will not tolerate this kind of sarcasm any longer. You need to enter the Lighting Region safely and only a B ranked mission will cause no trouble to you. Officially you are investigating on the disappearance of this family.

The Godaime opened the file in front of her showing to everyone the picture of a normal family. A man, a woman, two children and what seemed to be a shop behind them.

\- This is the Yamoda Family. They were born in Konoha and moved to the Lighting Region to open a weaponry shop after concession from the Third Hokage. They are citizens of Konohagakure at all effects, permanent hosts of Kumogakure. They disappeared three days ago leaving only their dead dog in front of their shop. None of the weapons were stolen, so Kumogakure closed the case as a simple flee of the family. Our Client knew them very well and he claims that something sinister happened.

Tsunade pulled out another couple of pictured from the file, showing them to the team. - This masked ANBU has been spotted multiple times in the last month, wondering around the area where the Yamodas lived. He is not one of ours, and niether Kumogakure’s. This subject appeared...and the family vanished. Same happened to these other families.

More pictures were put on the table. Pictures of normal families attached to pictures of weird looking figures seemingly stalking them.

\- Something is definitely wrong here and the Yamoda Family just gave us the right to investigate on the area. I’m sure I do not have to explain to you that keeping a low profile is necessary in order to avoid problems. Konoha and Kumogakure are yet to become real allies but at the same time a Konoha family, and..who know, maybe more, has vanished and it is our duty to find out what happened. In short terms...keep the face of the B ranked mission. You are there to investigate about a family fled somewhere. Nothing more than that. Understood?

She standed up from her chair and look at all the shinobis in front of her. No one talked, they just nodded and turned around before leaving. Tsunade waited for all the jungster to go out...clearing her throat to capture Kakashi’s attention.

\- Kakashi I need to speak to you alone regarding the details of the mission.

The copy-nin simply nodded, coming back to the table, sitting in front of it and for the first time putting down his book to face the Godaime. She had a concerned look on her face and she sighed before starting to talk.

\- Neji Hyuuga has applied for ANBU as soon as he became Jonin. This mission will determine if he really is fit to be a member of the secret services. I know you left Kakashi, but what I am asking is just a supervision and a report about his behaviour on the field. This mission has many links to his past and I want to make sure that he can handle the life he applied for. Will you do it? -

Kakashi looked at here and simply nodded, looking out of the window..following the path of a bird flying in the sky.

\- The Hyuuga kid wants to flee from his family...I can’t certaintly blame him. ANBU means no more orders from the main branch, no more fear of having his head blown up because of some stupid rules. Gai told me many times about that kid’s obsession with being perfect and worthy of his clan’s name. Gadaime...I’m not sure i’m the best choice for supervising him. I never trained with that boy nor my team had. I know nothing of him as a person. Are you sure that my opinion will be accurate enough? 

The copy nin watched Tsunade close her eyes, before looking directly into his uncovered one.

– You saw Uchiha Sasuke deteriorating to the point of escaping with Orochimaru. You are the only one who has experience with such troubled kids. Gai may be his Sensei but you are the most experienced in this...let’s say field. I put my total trust in you. As a former ANBU you will judge him on my behalf and as Team Leader you will estimate whether or not to keep him or send him back home. I hope for the best obviously...but it won’t be easy.

Kakashi sighed turning his eyes back to the sky. He clearly remembered the Hyuuga boy freaking out at the Chuuning exam, both with Hinata and Naruto. Gai had spent a whole afternoon talking to him about the situation….

 

_-Kakashi...how do you...take care of Sasuke?_

_It sounded like a weird question coming from the all mighty youthful green shinobi sat in front of him. It wasn’t like Gai to sound this...afflicted. Kakashi sighed sitting at his side, closing the book he was reading and looking in front of him._

_\- Sasuke is a very particular shinobi. You can feel his rage even in his sleep. He finds his strenght in the thought of vengeance towards his brother. I try to do my best to give him what he wants. I teach him new techniques and by teaching him how to control them I inevitably also teach him how to control himself. I do not push him to be friendly with the other two...i’d rather put them into situations where they must collaborate in order to succeed. The results are slow...but still showing._

_Gai looked at him before cringing his fingers in a fist and slamming it to the ground._

_\- He does not allow me to come near him. Since the first day he did everything by himself. He decided when to call the others for training and how to train. I tried to give my team all kind of mission but...none seemed to be enthusiastic enought for him. He constantly makes Lee feel like a failure. He treates Tenten with a cold respect as if she was a total stranger to him. He never talks about anything other than training and missions. Never a smile, never some….lightness in his young heart. Today...with Hinata...I cannot believe how fool I have been to allow that match to take place. I knew Neji was going to explode sometimes. I have seen him countless times being teased by the other Hyuuga members. I used to follow him home to ensure he was ok, as I did with the other two...and many,many times I saw his own grandfather calling him a failure or pointing out even the slightest defect. I wanted to...punch that freaking bast…_

_-Woh woh Gai calm down… - Kakashi blocked his hand right on time before he could do any damage to the poor tree behind them. He never so Gai this worried before._ _They both sat still for a moment...before Gai started talking again._

_\- His eyes scared me Kakashi. He looked at Hinata with such hate….how can I do something about it? I am scared he will turn out to be another Itachi Uchiha sooner or later…_

_The copy-nin looked at him, surprised to hear such words coming out of his mouth. He was truly worried, anyone could have told that. He sighed and put a hand on the Jonin’s shoulder_

_\- He won’t become another Itachi Uchiha. He has you has his sensei. And I know your youthful irritating philosophy will help him somehow. Just be yourself and do not push him into doing things he may be uncomfortable with. Play smart and thing will take the right turn._

_That said….he stood up, put his hands in his pockets and walked away, to wanting to stay there a second more. Gai was absolutely right...the kid had such a homicidal aura that even his nerves had jumped a little feeling it. He only hoped that no extreme measures will have to be taken into consideration…._

 

Lost in his thoughts….Kakashi had zoned out not answering Tsunade in the first place. She looked at him slightly worried, waiting for him to come back to reality. Finally he seemed to snap out of his own mind as he looked at her, bowing his head before turning to the door.

\- I will do my best, Hokage-sama.

***

-Maan I hate the Lighting Region! 

Shouted Kiba accompanied immediately by Akamaru barking 

Why didn’t she just sent a couple of ANBU’s to do this work? Fuck it's gonna be so awful!

Shikamaru sighed heavily, putting a hand on the top of his nose

– Kiba...you really have the brain of a dog. She just underlined the importance of not creating problems with Kumogakure. Don’t you think that sending ANBUs could be seen as a threat to the government? 

The dog nin looked at him crossing his arms, looking at him with enraged eyes while Akamaru barked quite offended by those words.

\- First of all the brain of the dog is far more intelligent that your so called smart-ass, second of all…

\- Kiba shut up! Gosh you are so noisy! I can’t believe I’m going to have to deal with you for a whole mission!

Shouted Ino rotating her eyes and putting a hand in her hair to revive them a little.

\- Oh oh miss I-cannot-keep-my-mouth-shut has spoken! Don’t you have a hair straightener to use or something?

Laughed Kiba and alongside Akamaru, jumping on the nearest roof to avoid Ino punching him. Sakura was trying to hold her laugh as much as she could...and Shikamaru looked at the ridicolous scene, anticipating the obvious failure of the mission even before starting it. The only one who wan’t a total pain in the ass was the Hyuuga, walking alongside him silently and...sensually somehow. Shikamaru looked at him trying not to get noticed. His long dark hair were being pushed by the light wind of the afternoon, his white vest both hid and exposed the toned body of the young shinobi. And best of all...those glacial eyes full of emptiness…directly staring at him. His istinct immediately told him to look away...but he knew better than that. He needed to provide an explanation for his staring.

\- Neji….what exactly is the Hyuuga Affair? 

Shit. Couldn’t he ask something less….sensitive?! Besides the fact that he already knew what it was...he noticed that the others stopped their chitchat to listen.

\- Yeah man...What’s that? Your uncle having an affair with some Thunder Woman? 

Laughed Kiba before encountering a homicidal look from those icy eyes….now adorned with veins all over them. Shikamaru became pale as a ghost hearing that sentence...did he really have some brain damage? Now even Naruto would have said something THAT stupid! He looked at Neji slightly worried that he might attack. He saw him fighting...light as a feather, deadly as Death itself. He could attack an enemy at an incredible speed, with just a movement of the arm...he could kill a man. Both him and the girls moved a bit, ready to stop the imminent fight, but surprisingly...the Hyuuga Just...spoke.

\- For your information Kiba...the Hyuuga Affair was the dispute that took place between the Hyuuga Clan and Kumogakure when Hinata was kidnapped at three years old. My uncle killed the Head Ninja to save her, the Kumogakure Government denied any involvement in the incident and since Konoha had killed their Head “for no reason”, they asked for Hiashi’s body as a payback.

Kiba looked at him confused and slightly imbarassed by his own joke, still not fully understanding the situation he found himself in.

\- Okay...but I am pretty sure I saw Hiashi Hyuuga a couple of days ago, alive and well so...did they pay money or something instead of..you know...giving him?

Shikamaru felt a distinctive shivering down his spine and for a second...he really feared for Kiba’s life. Neji turned to him and took a step forward, coming face to face to him. Even Akamaru was scared at that point….lowering his ears and lying on the ground. The situation was not good....not good at all.

\- You want to know what happened? Since MY father was Hiashi’s twin...they decided to hand him over instead of their precious main branch member. The Hyuuga Affair is basically my father dying for your stupid teammate. Now that you know….do me a favor, shut up and do not bother me during this mission if you don’t want all your chakra point closed up. Are we clear? 

That said...Neji turned his heels and left. Everybody remained paralized for a second, before Sakura and Ino turned to Kiba at the same time….punching him so hard on the head that he collapsed at least 3 meters into the ground. Shikamaru sighed looking at the pathetic scene in front of him, opting to leave before going totally crazy. He walked home feeling more and more anxious about the mission. Too weird….Tsunade hadn’t really explained anything, his teammate were already on the edge of fighting, and there was personal matters involved too. Obviously Tsunade couldn’t send Hinata to Kumogakure...but was it okay to send Neji? He looked and the sun lowering over the horizon and decided to lie down looking at the pink clouds in the sky. He had one night of peaceful sleep before leaving Konoha for that weird mission. He closed his eyes breathing slowly...trying to calm his heart beats down. He couldn’t already be that nervous...he had to calm down. If Tsunade chose them...there had to be a reason. Two medic nins meant that probably somebody would get hurt. Kiba had an incredible sense of smell...obvious reason to have him on the field. Neji….yes, Neji had the byakugan….but was it really needed when they had Kakashi and his sharingan? Too little information to formulate a theory. He would have to wait for more clues.Meanwhile... he needed to think of something else. A smile came up to his face...making him laugh a little. How was it possible... was he really thinking about how to sleep in the same tent with Neji before such a mysterious and probably dangerous mission?

 

 


	2. The Game is On

Neji sat on the bed looking at the kunais perfectly positioned in front of him: They had been clensed and sharpened for the past two hours, ready for the upcoming mission. Same went for the shurikens and the explosion papers, for his clothes and all the little things he was so used to prepare for a mission.   
This time thou…was different. The mission itself was different…he was different. Just another few step and ANBU would free him: Free him from the cursed seal, free him from his family and his destiny.   
Neji chuckled, taking a deep breath. Naruto was right…destiny was changable. He was born a branch member…but surely he wasn’t gonna die as one of them. He wasn’t gonna die as his father did. He didn’t care about the suicide and freedom bullshit, Hizashi still died to save Hiashi’s ass, no matter the explanation the man gave himself. The young Hyuuga shook his head putting all his stuff in the bag, getting ready to go to sleep. He absolutely didn’t look forward to leave with that bunch of stupid kids. The thought of having to deal with the Yamanaka and the Inuzuka was less appealing than listening to one of his Sensei’s speeches abouth Power and Youth. Sakura was ok…after the Uchiha left everyone noticed how calm and silent she became.  The Nara was…well, a Nara. Bored but useful, and Kakashi minded his own businesses. It could have been worst actually, Neji thought. At least there wasn’t Naruto or worst, Lee, in his way….

A knock on the door made him come out of his own thoughts, and he politely invited whoever it was to come in. Hiashi stepped in calmly as a swan on the water, looking at him before nodding and taking a seat on the chair near the bed. Neji bowed politely moving the bag to the floor, sitting down in a more proper way, ready to listen to whatever the Head was going to tell him. Hiashi on the other side, behind his ice-cold look…was very worried. The Godaime allerted him of the mission and he wanted to personally make sure that the boy was in fact….ok with all of that.

  * I have been informed of your mission, Neji. How do you feel about it?



Wow...Hiashi Hyuuga straight to the point. Well that was a surprise. Neji felt irritated by the question, what the fuck could he answer to that?

  * I am fine, Hiashi-sama. I have long enough accepted my father’s death and as a ninja I learned to keep emotions away from the battlefield. There will not be any trouble on my side, I assure you.



“I won’t risk my place in ANBU for this fucking family…..” thought looking at his uncle and his answer to come. Hiashi looked at him and sighed, as usual his nephew wasn’t speaking to him as Family…but just as his Head Chief.

  * Very well Neji. Best of luck for the mission.



Hiashi standed up and started walking towards the door, stopping suddently and turning around, seemingly ready to say something.

  * Neji….be careful. That place….



No. He couldn’t say it. It would do more damage than good and the probabilities of Neji…finding out, were too low to risk. He straighted his shoulders up, thinking about a way to justify those last words.

  * That place can be challenging even for a byakugan user. Do not be impulsive.



That said…he simply left. Neji looked at him leaving not understanding his own feelings in that moment. It was a mix of being pissed of for the lack of trust his uncle showed…and a weird sensation of “something is wrong”. He sighed and shook his head, he didn’t have time for that. He needed a good night sleep. Last check on his stuff,a quick look to his parent’s picture on the wall and he went to bed, closing his eyes and falling fairly quickly into a deep sleep.

***

As soon as the sun appeared on the horizon, everybody was already at the doors of the village, ready to leave. Everybody but Kakashi obviously. Shikamaru sighed leaning on a nearby tree, looking at the pink clouds above him, not wanting to talk nor..leave, to be honest. His mother had been giving him the usual scolding about being careful, not lazy, cooperative, and as always, not “a pain in the butt” for the others. Best thing in the morning, having your mother telling you off before one could even have the time for a tea. What a drag…

  * Yo Sakura, where’s Kakashi-Sensei?



Asked Kiba cuddling a huge Akamaru laid on the floor moving his leg frenetically while his belly was being scratched.

  * We never found out why he is always late! We tried to follow him but he always deceived us! Not even Sas…



Sakura sighed shooking her head, smiling to the Inuzuka after a second.

  * Not even Sasuke and Naruto could find something out!



The pink haired kunoichi laughed remembering their futile attempts to find out any information about their sensei, and strangely…she wasn’t the only one laughing. The pink-haired kunoichi turned to look at Ino, trying to hide a obviously malicious smile behind her hands.

  * What?
  * Oh come on Sakura-chan! Isn’t he the one who always reads the Itcha Itcha Paradise? Probably he is just….ehm ehm….coff coff…



She started moving her hand up and down in the air, making everybody pop their eyes out at the thought. Even Neji couldn’t hide a slight expression of surprise at that….colorful description. Sakura became purple at the thought of it while Kiba fell on the ground laughing so hard even Akamaru started barking. Neji did not move…not allowing himself to laugh at such vulgar and childish joke, looking instead at the Nara, lost in the clouds. He probably was used to Ino and those kind of jokes regarding men. The pinapple head just sighed looking at Ino, freezing on the spot. Neji followed his gaze and froze himself instantly.

  * And I thought girls were unaware of things…



Said Kakashi appearing behind Ino, his face covered by his beloved book and the other hand and in his pocket. Ino literally melted on the ground for the shame, followed quickly by Sakura and Kiba. Kakashi laughed walking passed them, turning around so he could look at everybody in the eyes.

  * Let’s go guys. We have a long way to go before reaching the Lighting. Oh and by the way….you should ask Gai about that. He is the expert I heard…



Neji nearly suffocated on the nigiri he was eating for breakfast while waiting, his skin becoming green at the thought of Gai….doing that. Shikamaru quickly patted a hand on his back, making sure the Hyuga wasn’t dying. That mission was already starting with the all the wrong premises.

  * Yeah! Akamaru, let’s go! Hyuga don’t die now, we need your icy ass!



Said the dog-nin escaping on the trees, quickly followed by everybody. Neji sighed following up. First Kakashi, now him?! It wasn’t even 6am in the morning and he was already fairly pissed off.

  * Calm down Neji…we need to focus.



The voice at his side was Shikamaru’s, the only one who was proving himself not to be a total retard. Neji sighed nodding, clearing his mind off all those useless emotions. Wait…had his nerved just been soothed by him? Weird. Probably it was just the essential need for another working mind in that group of children. He speeded up and so did all the others, remaining silent for the whole day. The team did not stop until the sun went down and Kakashi landed on the grass near a small lake.

  * Let’s camp here. We need to rest. Sakura and Ino, here is your tent. Shikamaru and Neji, this is yours, Kiba and Akamaru, here we go.



The Jonin opened a roll and suddently four tents and a fire pit appeared. Everybody put their bags down while Kiba and Akamaru went fishing in the lake. Soon it was dark and everybody sat around the fire, cooking their dinner and chit chatting about futile things. Kakashi suddently took another roll opening it and clearing his voice to call out for everybody’s attention.

  * Our first step will be to investigate. Akamaru and Kiba, you will go to the crime scene. Find out if anybody cancelled traces with bleach and if that’s the case…find out as much as you can. Ino and Sakura, you two will ask around town if anyone saw anything….take off your hitai-ate for this, you will look like normal tourists. You will have to base your questions on this.



Kakashi gave them a page of newspaper regarding the crime. They had to look like curious girls and nothing more. The two kunoichi nodded, starting to read the page, whispering about what and what not to ask. Kakashi shook his head as soon as they started fighting, going back to the notes.

  * Me and Shikamaru will go to the Police to put up the face of the b-ranked mission in order to analyse what the police found. Neji…you will take advantage of us keeping the policemen busy and will infiltrate into the archives. Check everything you can and if you spot something, just come back and we’ll elaborate a plan. Set the watches now and remember: Something is odd there so pay attention. This is officially a B-ranked mission….but treat it as an S-ranked one. All clear for now?



Everybody nodded with a serious look, each one starting to think about their task. Neji sighed, infiltration…what a better way to test his abilities as ANBU. Nice challenge thou….his byakugan would have definitely proven useful.

  * Oh, last thing guys….from now on we’ll take shift to guard the camp. Neji and Shikamaru will do the first night, Kiba and Akamaru the second, Sakura and Ino the third. I will do the last. If we keep going at this speed in five days we will be there. Now go to sleep. Shikamaru and Neji, you are in charge now.



That said, Kakashi entered his tent and so did all the others. Neji and Shikamaru looked at each other and Shikamaru sighed, what a drag…

  * You do the first turn….I couldn’t see a kunai thrown at me right now. Wake me up at three.



Neji looked at him and nodded, he did not mind the first shift at all. On the contrary….he hated waking up in the middle of the night. He definitely preferred to stay up and go to sleep later on. He looked around and spotted a tree branch waving of the lake, an excellet point for both guarding and sitting down comfortably. He climbed up the tree after putting down the fire, sitting down on the branch activating the byakugan and looking at the lake. The water was calm, slightly moved by the breeze and by a few ducks swimming around. Everything looked chilled and the sounds of night were relaxing. Neji started looking around, counting down the owls he could spot, playing the same game later on with frogs, squirrels and every other animal he could spot. Everything was usual and…to be honest, he was starting to feel sleepy and quite bored. He jumped on the ground starting to do some stretching just to keep his body awake. The more time passed, the more bored he became. He looked at the tents, making sure that everyone was ok. Everybody was sleeping peacefully and the Hyuga sighed, drinking some water and grabbing his bag to check on his weapons just to make time pass. As soon as he started polishing his kunais, his uncle’s words popped into his mind, reverbering into his ears more and more, everytime sounding more suspicious. Did he know about ANBU maybe? No…impossible…he couldn’t possibly know about it. Maybe it was just concern for the whole Hyuga Affair thing, but something wasn’t right about that hypothesis. Too simple to be right, at least not when talking about Hyuga Hiashi.  What was with that concern look before leaving? He had endured far worst missions before and the Hyuga head never came to him to tell him such words; that was something he would do with Hinata maybe….surely not with him. He sighed, what was the point of thinking about it after all.  He started training silently trying not to wake anyone up, imagining enemies coming at him from different directions. While moving around he ended up on the surface of the lake, and seeing his own image reflected on the water…made him think about his father. Why did he do that….why. He could have succeeded Hiashi as Head of the Clan, he could have changed his destiny…why the fuck didn’t he do that!? Just the thought of it made the Hyuga’s blood boil…and the boy needed to stay calm and focused. He tried to think of other missions and memories…just to keep him mind busy. He menaged so, in fact…he focused so much he did not notice that somebody wasn’t actually sleeping anymore…

***

Shikamaru was ready to slaughter Kiba in his sleep. He could clearly hear the dog-nin snoring in the other tent. He slept a couple of hours but then suddently woke up hearing that loud noise in the background. What the hell, did he swallow up a whole caterpillar or what?! He took a deep breath looking at the time, he could still sleep an hour before the shift but there was no way he could fall asleep again. Sighing he stood up moving his neck to the sides, opening the tent up and getting a chill down his spine when the breeze hit his skin. He looked around spotting Neji on the water of the lake, practising his juuken against invisible enemies. He was so focused on his training he hadn’t even noticed his presence. Or maybe noticed but did not bother to show it. Shikamaru sat on the grass looking at him and his gracious movements. That boy was handsome. Every aspect of his toned body was simply…perfect. His hair, his eyes, all his defined muscles covered under the white robe. His expression was serious but somehow relaxed, seemingly comfortable into a battlefield-like scenario. The Hyuga was at all effects a perfect war machine. Deadly accurate, fast, elegant. All the elements of the perfect shinobi suited him perfectly.

  * If you have nothing to do but stare, I will gladly go to sleep.



It took Shikamaru a second to realize that the Hyuga was directly speaking to him. He was so focused on…fantasizing about him that he didn’t notice the sudden stop of the Hyuga’s improvised training.

  * Actually I was looking at nothing…Kiba and his fucking snoring woke me up.



He opened his mouth and yawned before throwing Neji the now half-empty bottle of water  he found at his side. The shinobi grabbed it drinking a sip out of it, reaching for Shikamaru and sitting near him.

  * I am used to Rock Lee and Gai together...extreme survival technique I would say…



Did Hyuga Neji just make a joke? Well that was a surprise. Shikamaru laughed a little and looked at him, spotting something…weird in his gaze.

  * Shogi?



That word left his mouth without having the time to think about it. What was he thinking? He didn’t even have the board there and, most importantly he never really even spoke to the Hyuga!   
Neji looked at him moving his left eyebrow up in a skeptical manner, wondering what was the purpose of that question. Shikamaru quickly thought about an excuse but…fuck, why bother…he was Neji Hyuga, not Naruto.

  * I figured that a good shogi game would take your mind off your past, correct me if i’m wrong….



The Nara smiled at him slightly, collecting some leaves and drawing all the needed kanjis on them, preparing an improvised shogi board on the ground. Neji looked at him buffled by his answer. Normally he would have just politely told him to fuck off and mind his own business….but something in the Nara voice made him accept that sentence as it was. A concerned guess about his current being. He sighed sitting down and looking at the leaves, grabbing the butterfly and moving it up to attack his deer.

  * Good guess Nara. Your move. Don’t bore me…



No matter how flat that sentence sounded….Shikamaru could clearly perceive a hint of…aggression and fun in those words. Well…challenge accepted. He took control of the butterfly, leading the game. Neji looked at the leaves and then looked at the Nara’s face. They both smirked looking at each other…

The game was definitely on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kanji = japanese term for their symbols  
> Shogi = japanese chess-like game
> 
> Hi guys! Sorry if it took me so long to update, I have been pretty busy lately! Please comment on this chap, tell me how my writing skills are and where i could improve! Love you all, See you next chap! Xx


	3. It Always Begins With Fear

Kumogakure was…different. Konoha had a certain quiet atmosphere in the air, totally the opposite of the almost frightening-like one everyone felt stepping into the village. They arrived at sunset and two shinobis welcomed them in a very cold way, taking them directly to the Raikage for the usual bureaucracy between villages. Kakashi bent politely giving Tsunade’s best regards to the tanned man in front of him, telling him the appreciation Konoha had to Kumogakure for letting a team cooperate in the investigation of the disappearance of their beloved citizens. The other five stood silent listening to Kakashi and the Raikage talking firmly and coldly to each other about the standard rules for them to follow. Long story short…. “Do your things and leave. Goodbye.” Certainly, that man wasn’t one to joke around with.

  * Ok guys…let’s go to the hotel and then we’ll discuss.



As soon as they left the palace Kakashi spoke as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest.He did not really enjoy doing the bureaucracy talks, especially with a man so conservative as the Raikage was. His ideas, his way, no space to talk and easy way to screw something up without having any knowledge of it. Oh well, good to go for now at least.

  * Am I the only one to think that THAT man could scare the shit out of a biijuu?



Said Kiba shivering and petting Akamaru nervously. Sakura and Ino nodded walking alongside him towards the big building in front of them.  
  
It was an Onsen-Hotel, probably built for the high-rank member of society to relax. No wonder Tsunade had booked them a resting place there. All the people that could know something vicious about the case would have been all around them during the whole mission. She really thought it well. Shikamaru and Neji stood silent the whole time, making Kakashi wonder what they were thinking about.  
As soon as they entered the loft everybody sat down, waiting for Kakashi to speak.

  * Now that the burocracy is done, as you all saw the Raikage is not a man to mess around with. Sakura, Ino and Kiba, you know what to do tonight. Kiba, you’ll keep the hitai-ate to have access to the crime scene, girls…you two please avoid fighting for once and collaborate on searching. Stay out in the streets until Kiba reaches out for you, then start going to the clubs and in the hotel searching for any valuable information.



Kakashi stood silent for a second and looked at Kiba, not sure if he could really give him such task.

  * People here are not very kind towards women. You will protect them in case something happens. Girls, pretend to be interested into the foreigner shinobi and stick around Kiba if you start receiving the wrong attentions. The last thing we want is to get in trouble with high-class drunken men.



The two girls turned a bit red but nodded, punching Kiba as soon as he obviously started telling the “two girlfriends” joke.

  * Hei! Let me dream at least! Auch…. you two should be delicate feminine flowers, not crushing bulldozers with sweet smiles!



The two kunoichi looked at each other and started laughing, making everybody smile a little…even Neji who seemed to be awkwardly nervous about the whole situation.  
Shikamaru felt relieved seeing Neji displaying any kind of emotion. The five days journey had been calm but weird at the same time. After the Shogi game Neji went back to his “marble statue mode”: not talking, not focusing on the mission, just…. staying there still, as if his his body was there but not his mind.  That little, almost invisible smile he had in that moment made Shikamaru relax, letting him know that he was still there. That whole Hyuuga Affair matter was probably taking over his thoughts, and who could blame him. Shikamaru could think about home and picture Shikaku and Yoshino fighting about silly things at dinner, as usual…Neji couldn’t do that. He could only think of his family as the moment he lost his father and…wait a second. What about Neji’s mother? Was she alive? Was she...

  * …. Shikamaru…. Shikamaru!



A hand waved in front of his face and he realized he just zoned out. Ino was looking at him at slapped him behind the head, making him curse silently.

  * Pay attention lazy bum! Answer to Kakashi-sensei!



Shikamaru looked around him and especially at Kakashi who was obviously waiting for something.

  * What a drag…Kakashi-sensei I am sorry, I was thinking about something else. Could you repeat the question?



Kakashi sighed and looked at him, starting all over again.

  * As I was saying…we will go to the police department in an hour. We will ask for the investigation file and then come back to analyse it with Neji. Tomorrow morning we’ll meet up for breakfast here and discuss all the data we will have gathered. You will formulate a plan to help Neji sneak into the archives so please, stay focused. Clear?



Shikamaru nodded at the instruction, allowing Kakashi to finish up with the update.

  * Neji, you will keep an eye around the hotel, surely the Raikage will have us closely watched so the more we know, the better we can hide. Find out where his shinobis are with the byakugan and keep an eye on Kiba, Sakura and Ino. Ok?



Neji looked at Kakashi nodding and smiling slightly. Finding out spies and guarding people…. was he giving him ANBU-like tasks to do? No wonder there… as soon as he saw Kakashi being chosen to be Team Leader he understood Tsunade’s game. Kakashi was a former ANBU, his byakugan didn’t miss the tattoo on the nin’s shoulder. It was highly unlikely for it to be a coincidence. Was he the examiner then? Maybe so. In any case he already knew how to do his job perfectly. One easy step ahead towards freedom.

  * Wait a second guys…where will we sleep? This room can’t fit us all and Akamaru needs space too!



Kiba spoke up and everybody put their palms on their forehead, apart for Neji who obviously did not move but just rolled his eyes.

  * And I thought I could for once speak to normal people instead of retarded…. we’re in a loft, this is just the entrance!



Shouted Sakura as if she was talking to Naruto. She indicated the doors surrounding them and Akamaru barked to Kiba as if he was laughing. Four doors…. four rooms. It didn’t take a degree to understand that.

  * Oh, sorry miss “Hogake’s little protegeè” …. come on Akamaru I’m sick of them already. Let’s get some sleep without the Period Queens here.



A fairly pissed off Kiba went to the first room, slamming the door behind him just in time to block two shoes thrown at him by the girls. Kakashi sighted and opened the door at his side for both Sakura and Ino to enter, repeating again to please not fight and take the mission seriously. As soon as their door was closed he looked at Shikamaru and Neji, taking out of his pocket his Itcha Itcha Paradise book.

  * You two go to that room, I’ll stay in this one. Rest and be prepared for later. Shikamaru…. if I may have a moment...



Neji nodded politely going inside the room Kakashi indicated, letting the two alone to speak. Kakashi left the loft and went downstairs in the garden, Shikamaru following him silently.

  * Keep an eye on Neji, Shikamaru. If you see him upset or…not his usual self, let me know. This is a precarious situation and If he is not able to keep up I won’t have a shinobi risk his life with a mind obfuscated by rage or… vengeance.



Shikamaru looked at him and spotted a hint of sadness in his eyes. Sasuke…. he was thinking about Sasuke.

  * I don’t mean to be rude Kakashi-sensei but…Neji is not the Uchiha. He put his own life at risk to let us continue that mission to retrieve Sasuke. He would never let any thought put our safety and the mission’s success at risk. I know this for sure.



Kakashi looked at him and smile, that Nara boy was as clever as always. Too much caring maybe.

  * Good to hear Shikamaru. I wasn’t trying to offend Neji thou…didn’t know you were so protective towards him…see you in a couple of hours in the main hall!



Those words said…and he disappeared leaving just some smoke in the air. Protective? Had he been…protective? Shit. Off course he did. He spoke as if Chouji or Ino were being questioned, yet the subject was Neji, a guy he had only one mission with. A guy who risked his life for him, under his command,a guy he…. liked. Needless to deny it and Shikamaru knew better. Ino’s voice echoed in his head, making him smile.

They were training and Temari had just come by to say Hi and tease him a little before leaving. Two words and Ino was on his side, scolding him and then hugging him, saying such cute words Shikamaru worried she was coming up with a fever or something….

  * _“Women are troublesome, women are troublesome…. just say you like men and end it there once and for all! You’ll still be the pain in the ass we love no matter what, you know…. Just don’t steal my men and everything will be fine!”_



The Nara smiled at the memory, thinking about all the ways he tried to deny his homosexuality and how much he started looking at men after that conversation. It took him a while to accept it but yeah, Ino was right. He liked men…he liked male bodies and most troublesome of all…. he DEFINITELY had a crush for Neji.

***

The Hyuuga needed a refreshing shower after the journey. A moment of solitude and silence, just the noise of the water pouring down his body, washing away the dirt and the thoughts, refreshing his muscles and his mind. The mission was about to really start and Neji was sure it would be his opening door towards the role of ANBU. Plus…his partner was Shikamaru. Nothing to complain about, on the contrary. Smart, silent and serious. And…sentitive apparently. He hardly wanted to acknowledge the fact that the Nara did a good job indeed when he invited him for that shogi game. He needed a distraction and the deer boy provided it. He had enjoyed the game, he had enjoyed speaking with the Nara even though he didn’t go to sleep just to finish the match. They didn’t talk a lot…not with their voices at least. It had been interesting to see how the Nara mind worked through the game. How he tried to trap him in a corner aiming secretly at his knight, chasing it down as he did with the Suna girl at the Chuuning exam. Nobody had ever beaten him at shogi before that day. The Nara saw what he could not. Another way in. Neji knew he often made that mistake and the game just proved it once more. There is no destiny….no one-route travel. Shikamaru was about to loose and yet….it was his king that went down in the end. Another match was to be played for sure.  
The Hyuuga smiled softly grabbing a towel and tying it around his waist, using a second one to dry his hair off a bit before brushing them and going into the room to get dressed. Shikamaru was sleeping on his tatami, he probably came in while he was in the shower. Neji got dressed quickly and shook the Nara’s shoulder slightly telling him to go and get ready.

  * Mh… troublesome. You’re dripping water all over me.



Shikamaru yawned and dried off the drops of water that went from Neji’s hair to his face. Wait…how close were they?! His head turned instantly and….he was right in front of him. He could see his own reflection in those icy eyes, his mouth was just a few inches from his own and….

  * Hurry up. You have an hour.



There it was. Bossy Hyuuga spoiling all the atmosphere. He looked at Neji leaving the room before running to the bathroom getting undressed and jumping in the shower turning it on cold…. freezing cold. He looked at himself and sighed, damn Hyuuga and his….fucking awesome presence.  He could only hope the genius didn’t spot that erection under the sheets before leaving.  
A quick shower, a quick handy and there he was, downstairs with the others waiting for Kakashi. Sakura and Ino were in plain clothes, nobody could have ever guessed that they were in fact kunoichis. Kiba had his usual gear and stood besides Akamaru at the entrance of the Hotel, waiting for the signal to leave. Neji was nowhere to be seen….probably already at work.

  * Ok Shikamaru let’s go!



Shikamaru jumped feeling Kakashi’s voice behind him. How could he do that?!

  * Troublesome…if you want to give me a hard time at least don’t try to give me a heart attack.



Kakashi laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, his beloved book in the other hand.

  * Come on Shikamaru, Asuma told me to keep you awake somehow didn’t he!
  * …. troublesome….



Kiba looked at the two and nodded to Kakashi, leaving with Akamaru shortly after.  
Sakura and Ino took their bags and headed towards the main market street, acting like tourists and starting to ask around about things to see and places to eat. They were good at acting, no questions about that.  
Kakashi and Shikamaru were the last to leave, walking towards the police station meeting shortly after with the head chief of the department. Surely they were not welcomed guests there, nonetheless they had work to do and the permission signed by the Raikage to see the footages of the security cameras. Once the signed piece of paper was shown, they were escorted inside.

From the top of the highest roof of the town, Neji looked at all his teammates, making sure everyone got to their position. He had already spotted five ANBUs watching out for them and he had easily eluded them and positioned himself comfortably in order to have the whole situation in his eye sight. Everything was going smooth so far and the Hyuuga started to look at every street of the town, drawing an accurate mental map of the city finding out useful flee and hiding spots. One thing that caught his eyes was the sewer system: Several septic tanks were scattered below the buildings and the connecting pipes looked way bigger than what they should have been. They were at least 6 feet wide, perfect for a shinobi to sneak through them. There were guards at the access points of the sewers, meaning the Raikage was well aware of their existence. Neji couldn’t but wonder whether those guards were there before the Yamoda Family disappearance or not: In a shinobi village it was highly unlikely that something could happen and go unnoticed, unless…. nothing was ever there to be seen in the first place.

  
Their Client was right…. There was something very wrong with the whole Yamoda Family story. The mission was getting interesting, he had to admit it. He was intrigued by the whole situation. It took his mind off of his father’s death at least. He focused again on his teammates, checking out for possible dangers and checking here and there for the ANBUs that were watching them. When his eyes went on Sakura and Ino…something in his chest felt…wrong. The two were talking to a man, a noble by the looks of his clothes and posture.  His face was…familiar somehow. And not in a good way. Neji moved his gaze elsewhere, trying to understand what his own body was feeling. That man...he didn’t know him for sure, and yet it made him feel almost…scared just looking at him. Why was he feeling like this?

***

  * Tsunade-Sama, Hiashi-sama is…here.



Said Shizune with a very skeptical tone in her voice. The Hokage looked up not surprised at all and nodded letting the kunoichi know she was ready to receive the Hyuuga Head. The man walked into the office with his usual ethereal appearance, but his face was…colder than usual. He sat down looking at Tsunade right into the eyes before talking.

  * Have you not been informed about the relationship between my clan and Kumogakure?



Rethorical question…. that was not good at all. Tsunade put her hands in front of her to sostain her chin, looking at those icy white eyes. What did he want?

  * As young as I may appear, Hiashi-Sama, I clearly remember that awful event regarding your daughter and your honorable brother. I presume you are here because I chose Neji for this mission. I assure that I personally thought about it thoroughly and the boy is one of the most promising new Jonin we have, and I am sure he will be able to…
  * I am not here for this. I know my nephew will handle the situation but obviously…you have not been informed at all.



Tsunade stopped talking lifting her eyebrow up in disbelief. What was he talking about?

  * Excuse me Hiashi-sama but apart from the fact that I was in the village when it happened, I have been left with all the information the third Hokage had so could you kindly explain to me what do you mean with “I have not been informed at all”?



She looked at the man in front of him waiting for an answer, and the sigh leaving his mouth left her totally astonished. First, he looked infuriated and now…worried? sad? what was that?

  * I thought the Third would have left his successor something written about this. I was wrong. Tsunade Sama, The Hyuuga Affair is just the tip of the iceberg regarding what really went on with my family and those bastards…



The Hokage looked at him with her eyes wide opened, never in her life he heard a Hyuuga speak with such words.

  * Hiashi- Sama…what do you mean?



The man sighed again and Tsunade could have sworn on her life that a glimpse of tears appeared in his eyes. What the hell was going on?

  * Tsunade Sama…



The more Hiashi spoke to her…. the more her heart felt squished and strangled by the hand of Horror.  
  
He was lying. It couldn’t be true… how could it be true…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for the long wait! I have been pretty stressed out lately and this has affected my ability and will to write for a while. I'm back now, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know in the comments what you guys think <3 love you all!


	4. Harsh Feelings

It was night already in Kumogakure. The sky was covered with black and intimidating clouds, ready to let a storm hit with all its power. Some thunders could already be spotted behind the mountains and the whole town was slowly mutating to its night atmosphere: normal shops started to close one by one and at the same time finer restaurants, pubs and clubs turned their lights on illuminating the streets with vivid neon colors. Sakura and Ino had long met with Kiba and they were now enjoying a nice dinner in one of the bistrot of the hotel, listening here and there to the conversations taking place. Neji was jumping from roof to roof, trying to notice any unusual movement in the night, despite the fact that he was starting to feel hungry too. It took another hour before the Hyuuga could spot Shikamaru and Kakashi coming back from the police station. They had used the henge to turn themselves into two middle-aged merchants but they didn’t deceive the byakugan who instantly recognized their chakra pattern. They were heading towards the other teammates so Neji jumped off the roof using the henge himself, turning into a merchant itself. He reached out for the other two slowly, without catching any unwanted attention and stood silent behind them until they reached the others. They all sat down ordering something to eat and looked at each other for a second before Kakashi started speaking in code.

\- The Seller fooled us. What he showed us wasn’t nearly as complete as we expected. He showed us the product but didn’t tell us anything regarding the origin and the making. Girls how did your search go?

Sakura and Ino looked sorry and shook their heads simultaneously, sighing before speaking.

\- Nothing worth of our time. A lot of wealthy people but none who could be interested in our deal or seemed keen to talk about. Everyone here minds his own business, plus nobody seems to be too sorry about the recent events. We talked to a bunch of merchants and each and everyone of them played dumb to us. How irritating…

The two girls looked fairly pissed and honestly, who could blame them. They had spent 4 hours being harassed by creepy men just to come up with nothing in their hands. Kiba took a sip of his soda and smiled, caressing Shikamaru on the head and scratching behind his ear.

- We checked the area and nothing looked unusual. Regarding the burglary at the small shop I don’t think it had anything to do with the trading industry. Every item was there, same thing for the cash. It probably had to do with the owner themselves rather than for the goods they sold. None of our business so far.

Kakashi mumbled a little sipping from his sake cup and looked briefly at Shikamaru before gazing at Neji who simply sat on the bench listening to the conversation. He looked normal for what he knew, so far so good regarding his other mission. Their code conversation had been impeccable. Kumogakure’s folks were known for their suspicious attitude so the more they looked like traders, the best. It was necessary to be seen together at least once in order to avoid future problems and questions. More days were needed to figure the situation out so it was better to be known around as a group rather than 6 different individuals. A group of traders with a security guard, that was all people could see and hear. No hitai-ate, no real identities. It could have proved to be a very unstable plan but the premises were in favor of the team: Whilst Shikamaru stood at the police department watching the footages of the burglary Kakashi went to the Raikage’s office explaining the situation and how they “didn’t want to spoil any evidence by being Konoha ninja’s out in the street stressing out people with questions and possibly getting fake answers out of fear.” It wasn’t a secret that many had not liked the deals between the two shinobi villages so the Raikage had little to complain about the decision.  Only him and the ANBUs knew the details. Every other Jonin, Chuunin, Genin or civilians were unaware of their very presence.

- Good job everybody. We’ll discuss the details of the deal in private tonight. For now have some fun, we’ll have lots of work to do in the next few days…

That said Kakashi stood up and started walking towards the elevator quickly, almost too quickly, taking out his Itcha Itcha Paradise brand new book out of his pocket. Finally….FINALLY a moment to start the new chapter…

- Eeeh?! Wait, Sens….

Sakura’s mouth was quickly covered by Neji’s hand who, for the first time in the evening, decided to come out of his marble statue-mode.

- You wouldn’t want to say that here….

Simply whispered letting her go, watching the kunoichi change color from normal, to red, to purple, before smashing her forehead against the table in shame. Ino started laughing maliciously, unable to restrain herself to make fun of her long lasting love rival.

- Big Forehead, wanna spoil the fun? Baka!

- Ino-Pig, shut up! He should behave as our leader, not go upstairs to read that filthy book!!

- Mh…how come that you know what it’s about, BAKA?

- Because I…I mean…He always read it and we were curious and....well SHUT UP!

And guess who was the poor soul got punched right into the wall for daring to stay between the two?

-  Sakura….you’re gonna murder someone one day….

Mumbled an almost knocked off Inuzuka from the wall on the other side of the room. Every person in the club was now looking at them in disbelief, and frankly who could blame them. Shikamaru looked around to quickly find a way to dismiss the pathetic scene in front of him, but it was easier to say it rather than to take actual actions….  
There was a furious, embarrassed pink-haired  lady with her fist still up in the air, a blonde one laughing like a scared hen, a ninja knocked right into a wall with the dog barking near him and a man who sat so rigid he could have been mistaken for a Suna Puppet. Plus all the crowd around them curious to see what had just happened.

- What a drag…

He stood up looking at Neji for a second before sighing and walking towards the barman.

- Would you please sir announce that we are gonna pay everybody a round of sake for the inconvenience? And we are also paying for the damages…unfortunately our ladies had one too many glasses, you know…women…

He hated saying stuff like that but the way the barman screamed at the waitresses made him suppose he wasn’t exactly a gentleman towards the opposite sex. For a second the old guy looked at him before bursting into a quite vulgar laugh, patting his shoulder vigorously.

- You guys have chosen some spicy ones I see! Any chance I could borrow one for later?

Shikamaru stood there unable to reply politely, feeling rage building up in his throat. How dared that man assume his teammates were prostitutes?!

- Sorry dude we paid way too much for them to share. Here’s your money and sorry again.

The Nara boy turned around immediately and found Neji standing right behind him, handing out cash to the barman with his usual Icy-cold gaze. Wait….did he just say “dude”?! That was quite an un-Neji thing to say. Before he could say anything, Neji grabbed his arm and went to recover Kiba,Sakura and Ino ignoring the cheering of the people who were enjoying their free sake. He called the elevator and sighed deeply once the doors closed. For a second the Nara pictured himself and the others being beaten up to silence in that thing, but that would have been not so Hyuuga style. The boy closed his eyes inhaling deeply, looking at all four with a very pissed glimpse in his eyes while the elevator went up  floor after floor. He would not have allowed is future promotion to be put jeopardized by a bunch of idiots..no way. 

- If you have nothing better to do just Go Home. This is a mission, not a holiday, and I will not be dragged down to failure with you just because you all like to make a scene in a bar. You shouldn’t even be called Chuunin with this attitude, let alone be given a B-rank mission.

He took a second to exhale before continuing, the situation was ridiculous and he couldn’t tolerate it one minute more.

- Sakura, you are a medic ninja so act like one instead of breaking bones just because you couldn’t rescue the Uchiha and are too childish to behave yourself. Ino, if you want to attack Sakura do it in your spare time, do not waste mine. You are already useless enough so I suggest you don’t aggravate your situation even more. Kiba…let Akamaru be the dog, I have nothing else to say. And Shikamaru….

He stopped for a second looking at the shadow-nin, staring at him right in the eyes before sighing.

- Good move with the offering sake but next time do not joke around if you cannot play the game. Goodnight.

That said he waited for the doors to open and went flawlessly to his room, going straight for the bathroom and entering the shower to let the cold water cool him down. What a waste of energy and focus.

\- Well…that was harsh…

Commented Kiba still shocked by what he had just witnessed. Never in his whole life had ne expected to see a Hyuuga rage out verbally like that, especially towards his own teammates.

- Icy-Ass Hyuuga got his period or what…

Asked rethorically looking at the two girls who now looked like sad kicked puppies. Sakura had a hint of tears alongside her eyelashes, ready to fall down her cheeks, and Ino looked...downcast. Skiba knew for a fact that she already had her own mind telling her she was useless and stuff…, she really didn’t need somebody else to underline it. 

- That bastard… come on girls he didn’t mean it, I’m sure of it. Sakura, ok yes you could have avoided punching me but I was the one who got in the middle so don’t hold the grudge ok? And you Ino, you are not useless ok? He is the one who sat on a roof all evening doing nothing but peek around so don’t listen to him. You both did a great job, Kakashi-sensei said so. Don’t listen to him please…

Shikamaru stood silent not expecting Kiba to be so sweet with the girls. The Nara himself didn’t like how Neji spoke to all of them but at the same time nothing useful to say came up in his head to make it up for it. Kiba on the contrary was just speaking out of concern, able to comfort the two kunoichis who now looked a little calmer.

- What a drag… see you later guys I need to take a nap…

“Very useful baka” thought to himself while opening the door to his room. Neji’s words echoed in his head and he reflect upon how natural the Hyuuga sounded implying those things with the barman. He almost blew their cover just by not answering immediately to a joke probably old as the whole ninja world. He had heard it countless times during his missions and in Konoha too, so why couldn’t he just…act? Was it true was Neji said? He couldn’t play the game?

- You brain is melting on the floor…

The sudden voice of Neji abruptly woke him from his thoughts and he looked at a much more relaxed Hyuuga than the one in the elevator. Did the guy just told a joke? Was he high on something? No, probably not. He was wearing just a towel around his waist so he was probably just benefitting from a nice relaxing shower. Did it really take that little to calm a Hyuuga down? The Nara immediately felt the need to test his own supposition, and regardless of the risks, his brain started working without him being able to stop in time.

- I was just thinking about how rude you’ve been…”Dude”….

Well there was the sarcasm. Couldn’t it have come up at the bar with that slimy guy?! As soon as his voice put emphasis on that final word…Shikamaru feared for his life. The two shinobis looked at each other for what the Nara perceived as an eternity. Neji looked fierce even when covered just by a towel and he really looked like some kind of predator ready to strike and shut down his all chakra flowing system. Instead of that thou…the Hyuuga laughed. It was the weirdest sound in the world, and probably the rarest too. It wasn’t even a real laugh, more like a grin mixed with a chuckle, but it was surely contagious. All the angst that kept building up decided to release itself all in that moment and the two shinobis ended up laughing at the whole situation.

- I apologize, that was really out of line but I swear I said it thinking about what Godaime would have said…

Chuckled Neji trying to compose himself after letting his soul unleashed for those few seconds. It made sense to Shikamaru: Tsunade-sama was a renowned gambler and her language wasn’t always the politest. Thinking about it, he could actually picture Tsunade herself using the word “dude” while drinking a bottle of sake and placing useless bets all over the place.

- And there’s a new technique I didn’t know anything about… Tsunade’s Politeness no Jutsu…

Said the Nara trying to keep the mood lightened up not wanting to go back to the few past minutes. He breathed in firmly for a couple of times, opting to lay down on his tatami, waiting for Neji who had just got back to the bathroom to put on his night’s sound. It was black, simple and…tight. Very tight. “I want you to get a boner” type of tight. Every bulge and muscle could be clearly be seen through the soft black cotton of the textile, and worst of all Neji didn’t seem to notice it. He was probably comfortable at that was it for him, regardless of the aesthetic of it.

- Neji…I have to ask you not to be like that with the others. You normally deal with tough people like Tenten or Lee who take everything as a constructive critique but…you hit a couple of bad spots even if I’m sure you did not mean it.

There it goes the lightened up mood. Neji came out of the bathroom looking at him with a serious expression in his face, just to drop it a second later, sitting down on the other side of the tatami.

- I know. I noticed how they looked at me but indeed I meant what I said. I don’t think Ino is of any use in this mission and Sakura should cure us, not hurt us. And Kiba just jumped into the situation like an animal. Then your poor excuse with tha…

 - Neji stop you’re doing it again.

Shikamaru turned around to look at him, not sure whether this speech was the right thing to do at the moment. Right or Wrong thou…he had started it and he was going to finish it.

- It’s not about whether you’re being honest or not. You rarely talk, let alone use your words to tell lies. I’m talking about being a team and we should support each other, not sink each other down. If we make a mistake you are perfectly entitled to let us know but you cannot bring up things that will hurt your comrades like that. You probably lost their faith in you and I only hope it won’t have any ripercussion on the mission. What you did wasn’t that different from what Sakura did at the bar you know? Kiba’s chest will hurt for a couple of days distracting him and so will Sakura and Ino’s minds. Did you realize that? I mean you cannot talk about Uchiha Sasuke blaming Sakura for his poor choices just to make her feel like shit, pardon my French. Besides we couldn’t stop him either so what you said sounded incoherent too, but that’s another story. Regarding Ino then…she may not be the strongest among us but not even you with your byakugan are able to enter other people’s minds.  Do you think it’s easy for her to do that?

He needed to take a break from that monologue. He was ruining everything. He was able to enter the Hyuuga’s safe zone just a little bit with the made up shoji game and now he was rebuilding the wall with his own hands. Not good at all. He wasn’t even sure that scolding was actually going to help the situation. He sighed ready to let it be when Neji decided to answer.

- I…didn’t see it that way. I didn’t think they would take it personally to be honest. I will follow your advice, as long as they stop with that childish attitude.

Simple, cold, right to the point. Better that what the Nara had expected. His shoulders relaxed a bit and he took a moment to enjoy the silence in the room, an inconvenient question popping in his mind.

- What happened by the way? I never saw you snap before….is there something bothering you?

Neji looked at him with an undecipherable expression, taking a moment to carefully plan the answer. He had no intention to tell him about ANBU but at the same time he knew too well that the Nara wouldn’t miss a dodged question. The best solution was to give him a question he couldn’t possibly understand, not even with that mind of his…

- My family pays close attention to every mission report I submit. If something goes wrong I am equally guilty, no matter how big my part in it is. And being guilty means throwing mud at the Hyuuga name. It’s not something you can understand really…just how my family is. And I want to avoid such situations as much as I can.

"Well played Hyuuga", thought Shikamaru. He couldn’t answer anything to that besides a “understood”. Family business wasn’t something anybody would contest. Something told the Nara that there was more to it but he wasn’t as nearly as close with the Hyuuga to feel comfortable asking personal questions.  He just nodded yawning after a second, feeling actually tired. And there was still the final meeting…what a drag. He opted to take a quick nap and one hour later they were all sat in the living room of the loft, papers in hand, map on the table, ready to proceed with the plan.

- Ok…here’s a sum up of the situation. We’re at the starting point. Talking around town proved useless, same goes for the police help and the analysis of the crime scene. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Based on Neji’s surveillance report we will split in two groups of three. Sakura, Kiba and Shikamaru will check the sewers Neji saw with the byakugan. He was able to spot an unsupervised strom drain big enough for you to enter the tubes. This way we’ll complete our mapping and cover every part of town from top to bottom. Me, Neji and Ino will infiltrate the police archives. Both me and Shikamaru noticed that the tape policemen provided us was severely cut and there’s a slight chance that we’ll find the original one there. Plus I want to take a close look at the report they made since we had no real chance of examining all the evidences. As usual remember to be cautious and if anything happens you will all have a dog nin with you. Report to me immediately and in extreme cases just flee the scene. Understood?

Everybody nodded looking at their leader and he continued to speak trying to sum up as quickly as possible.

- Do not wear your official clothes nor engage in combat if not in a life or death situation. Look for scents, footprints, anything that could indicate a fight, a flee, something. We will focus onto not only the Yamodas but also all the other families. If there’s a connection, we’re gonna find it.

Again everybody nodded and every pair went back to their room to get some rest without asking any other question. Shikamaru started mumbling “what a drag” the moment he closed the door thinking about having to go into mud-filled pipes all day and Neji looked at him in disbelief.

- Nara get a grip and go to sleep….

Said very plainly hiding under the covers of his tatami, feeling done for the day. He looked at Shikamaru for a second and he could have sworn that he saw resentment in his eyes. He decided not to bother asking, he didn’t really have the mental strength to have another discussion. He had already sat silent during the first scolding and really didn’t another one. Besides...he had to think about how to show off his skills to Kakashi...

Shikamaru sighed and slowly crawled into his bed sighing silently. It was awkward sleeping so close to him, yet so distant. It had been awkward to scold him like a child and it had been awkward to have him sit there listening

- I can’t get a grip if the person I like sleeps next to me…

Whispered to himself turning his back to the Hyuuga, realizing only after a couple of seconds that those words had actually just left his mouth and did not stay a silent thought as he intended them to be. He froze on the spot hoping that he whispered it too quietly for the Hyuuga to hear. His heartbeat was reaching and he couldn’t breathe, trying to listen to any sound that might have indicated a response. Too bad it wasn’t a sound what he heard next…not a sound at all.

- Pathetic…go to sleep Nara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! Sorry for taking so long to publish another chap but my BPD has hit hard in the last month and my infinite lust for writing....went on strike basically. Let me know what you think about the chapter and sorry if there's not much action, I felt like going deeper into the emotional situation of the team rather than the actual action ( it's coming, don't worry u.u ) plus...I threatened a friend to write a cliffhanger chapter in pure Naruto style and I always keep my promise ^^ (Love you Edo <3 )  
> Hope you all enjoyed, see ya next time!  
> Xx Hikari

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody! This is my first fiction written in english, I hope you will like it! Any suggestion on how to improve my writing skill are well accepted! It took me a century to start writing but finally I'm here! Also....this is a Gift for LittleGirl9, hope you like it dear! <3 <3  
> See you next chap!  
> xx Addiction and Abstinence


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